Direct Contact with Chaparral

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We bought a 2017 H2O new this year and Chaparral has requested that the boat be returned back to them to repair the warranty work for the cockpit fiberglass issues. Has anyone had any luck finding a direct contact at the manufacturer. I have not be able to get anyone to respond to my requests on their website, except the auto reply emails that they received my email. I understand that I have to work with the dealer to buy the boat, but now the manufacturer is our repair facility. I would like to contact them to find out how they are going to fix the issues. Any contact information anyone could provide would be helpful.

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I have a 2014 H20 and was not receiving satisfaction from the dealer. I tried for 4 months, leaving a message once a week for their customer service manager to call me. I did not receive one reply, very frustrating and a poor way to do business in my opinion

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The dealer got quotes for the repairs for the fiberglass, the largest being $3000. Chaparral requested that the boat be send back to them; from Kentucky. The dealer said it could take 30-90days. I know me, and after 30 days without seeing my boat, i'm going to get a little concerned. I'm just looking to reach out to a person from the Chaparral that will talk to me at day 30, 60, and 90 to give me updates. I think that's reasonable. Still looking for that person.

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The dealer got quotes for the repairs for the fiberglass, the largest being $3000. Chaparral requested that the boat be send back to them; from Kentucky. The dealer said it could take 30-90days. I know me, and after 30 days without seeing my boat, i'm going to get a little concerned. I'm just looking to reach out to a person from the Chaparral that will talk to me at day 30, 60, and 90 to give me updates. I think that's reasonable. Still looking for that person.

I have owned four Chaparral boats, all purchased from the same dealer, over 25+ years. My first boat, a 1991 1600SL/90Merc developed a soft spot in the floor around the ski locker. Dealer arranged for Chaparral to repair at the factory, in Nashville GA. I towed the boat to Chaparral over the fall off-season. Turn around time was about three months. Came back perfect.

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Chap is bringing a semi up to get my boat from the dealer, which is stand up. I'm not sure how they are going to fix the issue and make it right. There are multiple soft spots throughout deck, swim platform, around the cup holders, around the ski locker, lip of the ski locker, and more. Looks like air pockets were not rolled out or it wasn't backed with glass. You can push your thumb through some of weak spots and air pockets. The more we cleaned the more we found. I can assume my boat won't be stored in climate controlled garage.

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I think it is reasonable to ask what the repair plan is. When I got my boat back, it was better than new - clean, buffed, even the broken speaker grills were replaced. And my boat was 5 years old at the time.

I was so impressed with the service that I bought a new 1930SST.

Ask your dealer what the plan is...

brick

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There are multiple soft spots throughout deck, swim platform, around the cup holders, around the ski locker, lip of the ski locker, and more. Looks like air pockets were not rolled out or it wasn't backed with glass. You can push your thumb through some of weak spots and air pockets. The more we cleaned the more we found.

I have to ask: What the heck is going on at that factory where these kinds of defects make it through QC?

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Sounds like air voids. Common in fiberglass to some degree, but sounds like yours is excessive. Air voids are not a difficult fix, and when done properly, cannot be detected, and will not affect long term durability of the boat.

It is unfortunate, but I expect Chaparral will do a nice job fixing it up.

brick

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Maybe 9 months ago, I was on a thread here on this site where people were relaying issues they've had with their chaps. At the time I was trying to contact the factory for something and several months later, chaparral contacted me on my contact email that nobody but this website would have access to. He was reaching out to me to help for which I didn't need any help by then.

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Maybe 9 months ago, I was on a thread here on this site where people were relaying issues they've had with their chaps. At the time I was trying to contact the factory for something and several months later, chaparral contacted me on my contact email that nobody but this website would have access to. He was reaching out to me to help for which I didn't need any help by then.

Chap, if you're listening, I highly recommend you establish a "Level 2" customer support team. For a customer, the initial contact would be with the dealer, but there needs to be a method of escalating an issue directly to the factory. We're buying expensive machines; we expect support, at least for the first few years. It's clear from the posts on this forum that there are some issues some dealers just aren't equipped to handle and a customer just needs to know the factory is there to help.

For years, I've owned Toyotas. My initial support comes from the dealer. Toyotas are very solid vehicles and rarely have we had a problem, but a couple of times we've asked the dealer to have the area Toyota representative take a look at an issue and they've responded quickly and with a solution (in one instance, an air conditioning compressor failed at 36,700 miles -- on a 36,000 mile warranty; Toyota stepped in and covered it).

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I noticed some chips in the gelcoat on the hull of my brand new Chaparral after owning it for about a month. Some cracks also formed in the floor by the ski locker also. I brought it back to the dealer and when they inspected it we were shocked. You could see that gelcoat had been dabbed on to cover up a spot where the gel coat hadn't bonded well, right from the factory. Now Chaparral is giving my dealer a tough time because they think the estimate for repairs by their fiberglass contractor is too much.. Had they not tried to do a half @SSed repair at the factory and had they fixed it properly none of it would be necessary but they still are being a a pain to deal with. The dealer uses this repair guy because he does a great job, and it's a brand new boat. I can't understand them letting it leave the factory that way, and balking at a repair cost considering it is entirely their fault (they even had a chance to fix it at the factory before it left) makes me really mad.

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had a similar issue,2017 VORTEX 233 VRX ended up with another boat,being it was the middle of the season.your dealer is your main contact,he or she knows who to call,be persistent. u spent your money.u can try to reach out to your Regional sales rep.for your area.( call cust. service & demand to speak with him or she.i gave them my # & in two days got called back) at the very least he will direct u in the right direction. the factory would be my decision to have it repaired.

i can understand your frustration,i am in N.Y the season for me is over, but i still like to go into garage & just look at her & puts around with everything

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Boat manufacturers build boats and their service network is through their dealers.

They will step in as necessary.

It is frustrating and next time a boat show comes around go to the Chap display.

You can probably find a corporate rep you can talk to.

I have always felt it is just as important who you buy from. not just the brand you buy.

As a matter of fact, I have called Ram customer service about an issue with my truck. Dealer said parts weren't available for a recall. I called customer care, they listened to my concerns, and got me parts on an expedited basis because of how I use my truck. I also called KTM customer service once when I had an issue with an RC8 Superbike that wouldn't run right. It drug out about 2 months, so I called customer care and they flew their lead tech out (who also couldn't fix it) and they ended up making the situation right immediately.

I agree dealers should be our primary points of contact, but there are circumstances that are not in the dealers control. My case for instance. The dealer wants to fix the boat, Chaparral is dragging their feet. Going to my dealer, telling them I am unhappy and want it fixed to perfection doesn't make sense because it is what they want too.

For me, customer service is the reason I continue to buy, or don't continue to buy a product. I'll buy Seizmik mirrors for any off road vehicle I have because they handled a minor issue incredibly well, going well beyond what could be expected. Others report the same, so I believe it is a company focus to take care of the customer. Arctic Cat has taken care of things outside of the warranty period on snowmobiles and ATV's for me in the past without hesitation. They have never balked at taking care of anything, inside or outside of the warranty period that I asked them to take care of.

Grand Design RV is a model of customer service. You can call your dealer, or you can call Grand Design. When you call them, they get involved with the dealer to ensure that the customer is happy. I have never heard a bad thing about Grand Designs customer service. On my RV I go through my dealer, but had something break on a trip, and they sent a tech out to my campground to fix it.

Level 2 customer service is entirely possible, and is a good thing for both sides involved. Look at the research into companies like Grand Design and Turner Bicycles. You will learn that their customers have chosen to buy their products in large part due to the customer service and support offered by the manufacturer.

I haven't felt the need to contact Chaparral directly, but if this drags out I certainly will. If they don't make it right, I surely will be upset but I have to believe that they will. Having a support person with the manufactuer that I can call on that I know would be willing to, and has the authority to help would be essential to me to stay a happy customer.

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In my case, I have just learned that Chaparral has approved my claim after 2 months of waiting. I’m not upset because I didn’t lose any time on the water, but I am still a believer that having someone at the company to reach out to is helpful.

I did get an email from a Chaparral customer service rep offering to look into things as a result of this thread after I posted, which is very encouraging.

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Update: I was able to get a hold of Chaparral using the #'s provided. Thanks to all that responded. A VIP called me back and we agreed that it would be easier to complete the fiberglass work locally, without sending the boat back down to HQ. Looks like she will be back for Christmas. I am pleased to say the least. Thanks Chap! for making it right, and making "Made in America" mean something.